Saturday, May 23, 2009

Polly Plea(d)s...

Regular readers of this blog will by now be aware of the fact that I love hats! In fact, I have so many hats that it's difficult to manage them all at times...When I refer to hats, I mean metaphorical hats, you know the type that you wear at certain times of the week depending on which occupation you are following at the time. Examples of these would be chef's, cook's, night cap, hike hat, scout hat, gymnastic's hat and finally dyslexia group hat, not forgetting Mummy hat and chief bottle washer hat too!

Last year the Educational Building Society Community Fund donated funding to 150 worthy causes around the country. Two of my hats were the lucky beneficiaries, #1. The Offaly Dyslexia Group (aka The North Offaly Dyslexia Association) and #2. Tullamore Scouts. The point is that now is the time for me to take my hat off and hold it out to you for donations. Well, it's a bit simpler than that even! For my Irish reader's this will be of particular interest...

All members of The EBS are eligible to nominate one local charity for funding from the EBS Community Fund 2009. Applications may be downloaded from here and must be submitted by 5pm on the 5th June 2009 either by post or to your local branch office.

The reason for the speel about the hats is that I am too involved in each of my own volunteer groups to be able to choose which one to promote. Each of them is a worthy cause and each needs financial help as much as the other, to allow them to further their good deeds!

So Ladies and Gentlemen, this is where you come in; I am calling upon your good will to make the choice for me and to promote this fact to all your friends, relations and colleagues. Ask them if they have an EBS account and then suggest whichever of my favourite charities appeals to you the most, please? Pretty, please?

This is great for kids with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia as it improves their co-ordination, self esteem, concentration, social skills, etc.

One of our ex-coaches/members Geoff Rellis was also a member of the national squad. He is now furthering his studies and working within the sport in Canada.

Last year we had 7 medal winners at The Men's Irish Gymnastics Championships. This year we had none, because we didn't enter the competition. This is due to inadequate funding for this sport and the high cost of entering events such as this...

We need equipment, coaches and a permanent base to call our own. At present the Irish Army is generously renting its gymnasium to us on a temporary basis. Storage and access can be problematic at times.

This is a VOLUNTARY youth group formed over one hundred years ago by Robert Baden-Powell. Scouting is a world wide activity.

Funding is raised locally.

Scouting helps in the development of young lives and provides children with life skills which will help them at times of crisis and in the work place.

Scouting encourages young people to take responsibility and to help others.

Activities can be expensive. Insurance is vital. Leaders are volunteers and pay for themselves.

Each of these organisations needs your help. Whether this be in terms of financial donations, nomination for the EBS Community Fund 2009 or in terms of time each of these groups does need your help badly. Please choose one to support, if you are unable to support all of them.

Please enlist the help of your spouse, children, co-workers, friends and family. If you are unable to help us yourself it is possible that someone you know can help us, it may be that they are one of the 440,000 EBS customers who is eligible to nominate one of my charitable groups. If you don't ask, you will never be able to tell them about this crazy woman who lives in a bog, makes cards and loves hats - or indeed her favourite charities!